Fears about RPK's safety as attacks on Malaysia Today continue

RPK, a two-time ISA detaineenow lives in London

Malaysia Chronicle

It has been nearly a week now but the attacks against Malaysia’s most popular political blog run by the controversial Raja Petra Kamaruddin are continuing unabated, raising eyebrows and concern about his safety and his family's.

“Why is there such a concerted effort to shut up RPK? What information does he have that is so ‘sensitive’ that some people are willing to spend a fortune to just keep it away from the Malaysian public and the world at large?” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“It is time to take stock of what is happening atMalaysia Today. There is more than meets the eye. We also feel concern for his safety but we hope RPK will not give up the fight because corruption is the biggest threat now. There is indeed a group of people draining huge sums from Malaysia and the rakyat are going to end up with nothing if the information is kept hidden.”

Sucked dry by unparalleled corruption

With his wife Marina

Indeed, it may be silly and also futile to keep blocking Malaysia Today. Already, there are calls for RPK to start in the interim an online magazine in the style of Sarawak Report to expose all the dirt and corruption of the ruling elite.

The 60-year RPK went to school at the famous Malay College Kuala Kangsar and rubbed shoulders with many of Malaysia’s leading politicians and civil servants. His network of top-level contacts in the government is vast and there is also no shortage of whistle-blowers who send tips to Malaysia Today, which has been around for 10 years now.

In the weeks leading to the attacks, RPK had begun unraveling the financial debacle at national airline MAS, supplying and explaining the details contained in a 7-page report MAS managers had lodged with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

And when he began naming the people involved in the RM8 billion in losses racked up by former chairman Tajudin Ramli, it must have raised a huge panic in Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration.

RPK blew the whistle not only on former premier Mahathir Mohamad but also his successor Abdullah Badawi – whom Malaysians had at one time thought of as ‘Mr Clean’.

Malaysia's ruling elite - Najib, Mahathir, Abdullah

RPK also exposed Najib’s “new cash cow” – the national railway firm and how the PM may renege on a Letter of Intent granted by the previous administrations to China Railway Engineering Corp and extend a fresh one to China Harbor Engineering Corp. A new deal would of course imply new negotiations and new benefits for Najib. His close ties with corporate bigwig Tan Kay Hock, the boss at Johan Holdings, was also revealed.

The amounts mentioned are enormous but few Malaysians doubt RPK or think he is exaggerating. MAS' RM8 billion in losses are already on record. The staggering red ink offers a good clue as to why resource-rich Malaysia can face bankruptcy by 2019, and why the government has to go back to the masses for more money by jacking up the prices of consumer essentials.

Tajudin was chairman at MAS from 1994 to 2001. The MAS case is no less shocking than the Port Klang Free Zone financial scandal. PKFZ will be returning to the spotlight soon with several top Umno leaders due to be charged. One of them is believed for be former Selangor Mentri Besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib, with whom RPK had a run-in with in 2007.